At the Threshold of the Passion
by Sayra
Summary: Judy's being asked to go on a date by Matthew from ZPD's research department. Judy asks her partner if he can give her a male opinion, since she was a date with Matthew? How will Nick react when Judy tells him she has a date? What is our dear Nick's attitude when he finds out that who is Matthew and what kind of species he is? Stay to see.
1. Summary

Judy's being asked to go on a date by Matthew from ZPD's research department. Judy asks her partner if he can give her a male opinion, since she was a date with Matthew?

How will Nick react when Judy tells him she has a date? What is our dear Nick's attitude when he finds out that who is Matthew and what kind of species he is?

Stay to see.

*A one-shot, divided into two parts with romance and Fluff. I hope you like it ^-^ *Zootopia doesn't belong to me. All rights reserved to Disney. 


	2. Part One

There was something that Nick had been obsessed with lately. Judy's tail. At first, he thought it was funny and even sent his funny mouths over his partner's tail, leaving her completely embarrassed. Her embarrassment gave him a good laugh. However, as the days went by, this obsession became worse. Twice, he touched his tail, making Judy furious and ashamed at the same time. And one of these times, one of her paws went toward hisr face. With this, he tried, with his whole being, not to touch that magnificent little thing. However, that was not all that was tormenting him. Only he didn't know what it was. Or rather, he didn't want to admit it. It was impossible for that to happen to him. It was not natural. He thought so, of course.

"Good morning, partner." her voice was contagious, to the point that a small smile appeared on his face.

"Good morning." He replied.

Judy got into the car and closed the door. Today, it was Nick who was driving to ZPD. The road was still long, so the conversation came up animated, while violet eyes enjoyed the landscape, and emerald green eyes concentrated on the road. Until then, the conversation changed.

"Hey, Nick..." her voice was low and... even a little embarrassed. Not involved on that, he just released an "Mm..." asking her to proceed with what she was about to say. "I... have a date."

Faced with such a word, he put his foot deep in the brake, causing Judy to come forward and hit her back hard on the back of the chair, when she returned to her starting position.

"What the hell, Nick. What was that for?" she stared at him with her eyebrows together.

"Red Signal. And I'm sorry." Nick didn't stare at her, but raised his paw, pointing through the glass at the sign in front of them.

After taking a deep breath, Judy spoke again.

"As I was saying, I have a date tomorrow night and... I needed some advice." the pink color was visible in her ears.

"The lady who knows everything, needs advice for the date. Let me laugh" and he did laugh, even though he was boiling with fury inside.

_Who was the mammal? How did he not realize that Judy had fallen in love? Most importantly, they were practically together every day, even after the shift was over, and never saw her with anyone else. How had that escaped him? Besides, why the hell am I furious about her going on a date? I should be happy for her. For Judy to have found someone who would make her happy and... for fuck's sake, whom I want to fool._

"I'm serious, Nick." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, folding her arms. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Seriously, I'm sorry. But you caught me off guard." and then the signal went green and he speeded up again. "What do you say we stop at the cafeteria by the river and talk a little better? We still have an hour and a half before we go into service."

"Good idea."

The silence fell on them. In Judy's mind, the image of the clothes she was going to wear for the date, was very present. Her paycheck would not be enough to buy a new outfit, so she had to see what she could get that was appropriate. Already in Nick's mind, the story was different. The fear of losing friendship with his partner, was right in front of him. He knew that at the beginning of a relationship, the focus was on the two and not on the three, and many movie nights like outings or just talking to each other would end. And that...he didn't want to. He didn't want in any way to lose the only important female in his life. The only one that saved him from the life he had. The one who consoles him when he needs it, who accompanies him almost everywhere. The only female he really loved with all his heart. But he couldn't be selfish. If she didn't see him that way, the only way was to support this relationship and remain Judy's partner and friend. After all, her happiness was important. More...than him.

When they reached the parking lot, Nick parked the car and they both got out. Judy preferred to stay in the esplanade and told Nick what she wanted, and he went into the bakery to order breakfast for the two of them and left soon after to join her, sitting in the chair in front of her.

"So what advice do you need, Carrots?"

"Mm...to be honest with you, I need more of a male opinion." Her eyes couldn't face the fox's in front of her. Embarrassed, she tried to focus her attention on her surroundings. It was the first time that this kind of subject had been touched on, and for some reason the nervousness she felt was incredible.

"And what male opinion do you want to know?"

"Ah...it's not that it's the first time I've had a date, but, I don't know why, this date makes me a little nervous."

"Can I ask you a question now?"

Then Nick had her attention on him. Without speaking, she nodded positively with her head. "Who is he?"

"Matthew, from the research department."

_Matthew... Matthew..._ He searched his mind where he had heard the name until when he realized who he was, if nature let him, his chin would fall on the table.

The conversation was interrupted as the waiter approached, that had on his paws the tray with their request. After putting things on the table, he went astray to serve other clients.

"Matthew?" he repeated the name, now in shock. Judy noticed the change in his partner's voice and spoke in an angry tone.

"What's the problem?"

"None. Sorry again."

Of course, there were problems. At least from his point of view. For his stupidity for not noticing. What an idiot. He could have tried to show his charm too. Since, Matthew was also a fox. Different species. An arctic fox, all white, blue eyes, crystals and irresistible charm. Sometimes Nick had heard his name mentioned in the Hall by his female colleagues several times but had never given it any importance. How stupid of him. Now knowing that that fox would take Judy away from him. But...wait a minute?! That means...

"I didn't know you liked foxes? At least that way." the question he thought, came out of his mouth in a rude tone. He would find out what the other fox had that he didn't have.

That question made Judy red and... a lot. With no way of disguising it, she tried to cover up the embarrassment when she answered, knowing full well that Nick was astute and that he would notice.

"I like all species as long as there is mutual respect. However, on a more emotional level I did not know this. It happened."

"When did you realize?"

_When I started having a fox partner by my side every day, you idiot._ She wanted to answer that but preferred to keep it to herself.

"I don't know." She was sincere.

And she really didn't know. Matthew attracted her in a certain way, but there was something that told her that he wasn't the one she wanted. Something deeper told her that Matthew, though he was handsome, didn't mess much with her emotions. There were no butterflies in her belly, the blushing couldn't be seen, and the conversation flowed well with colleagues. There wasn't even a deep friendship. However, one day, when she was alone, Matthew approached her, asking if she wanted to go to dinner with him. At first, Judy still thought long and hard before answering, and there, in her mind at that moment, Nick came without knowing why. After a few minutes, she decided to give it a chance and accept it. It wasn't every day that a beautiful dying mammal would ask her out...was it? There was another one in which she had already had dinner several times. Where they laughed together and talked without worrying about the time, but...there was never anything more than simple day-to-day conversations or...was there and she didn't realize it? Argh, pushing such thoughts away she said yes and would go ahead with the date.

"Um...so what male opinion do you want? Even though I already know what you are going to ask me." Nick picked up the cup with the coffee and took it to the mouth, where he drank a little.

"So, if you know, answer my question."

"Be yourself, don't invent another character. When it comes to the choice of clothes, I leave it entirely to your good taste, but let me warn you that, we fox, we give more importance to what the female is inside than, exactly, the outside."

_Really, who did he want to fool? _

"So, it's enough to be myself?"

"Exactly."

"At least I'm more unconcerned that he won't reject me for being a police officer." Judy took her toast to her mouth, biting a little.

"How many rejected you for that?"

"Three. My first boyfriend accepted that, at first, very well. After two years of relationship, he ended up saying it was too much for him." she replied in a sigh.

_And I hope this one rejects you too_! Nick thought to himself. He knew he was being selfish and that his partner's happiness was at game, but it was really his wish.

"Where will you have this meeting?"

_Of course, I will follow them. In the shadows, you won't see me and in my past life it worked well. _

"At _ItalyZoo_, the very famous Italian restaurant in Sahara Square. After dinner, I don't know where we're going." Judy shrugged her shoulders, now drinking her juice.

_Perfect! _

"And what more do you need opinions?" he asked.

"Nothing else. You answered what I wanted." she smiled, and he forced his smile.

Checking the clock, Nick got up, warning Judy to finish eating fast because it was almost time to go into service and they still had another twenty minutes to walk to the department.

The case delivered to them, was nothing more than patrolling the streets. Things were quiet in Zootopia and, for the first time, Nick thanked that for it. Since his head was not in place in the case they had a more complicated case. When the shift was over, Judy parked the car in the park and the two of them climbed the elevator to the entrance hall. Generously, Nick asked permission to get a cup of coffee before going undone, letting the bunny go first. In the department's cafeteria, after taking the coffee out of the machine, he went back out with the coffee on his paws. He would drink going to men's changing rooms. On his way, he stopped abruptly. In the hallway, Judy was at the door of the women's changing room with her current clothes and Matthew in front of her. They were talking, something he couldn't decipher. But what hurt him most in the process, was seeing the glow in Judy's eyes and the soft, sincere smile on her lips. There, he knew he had lost her, and forever.

"Tomorrow's eight o'clock. I'll pick you up in front of your house?" he asked.

"Of course, no problem at all." she replied.

"Great." And with that, he leaned over, kissing her cheek softly. "See you in the morning." and said goodbye.

Before the scene, Judy stared at Matthew's back and took a paw to her cheek, caressing it. On the other hand, the empty plastic cup was squeezed. The growl was disguised, but his expression was difficult to keep calm.

"Oh, Nick, haven't you undone yet?" Judy asked, when she noticed that her partner was there.

"No!" his voice was thick. One Judy had never heard before.

Passing by her in great strides, he didn't stare at her and opened the men's changing room door, closing it behind him. Faced with the reaction, the confusion in the little bunny's expression, was enormous.

"Nick?" she babbled at her partner's attitude.

_**End of the first part.**_


	3. Final Part

Back home, Judy couldn't stop thinking about Nick. She should be glad that Matthew invited her to dinner and showed interest in her as he was a well-attended mammal, at least in the department among her co-workers, but the one filling her mind was her partner. That voice with which he answered her, warned her that something was wrong. Was it for the date she was going to have with Matthew? No, it couldn't be. Nick couldn't be jealous of her. They were partners and friends. At most he should be happy for her. But his voice and expression hurt her heart in a way. He was thinking that she would abandon him if her relationship with Matthew went ahead? She wouldn't stop spending time with her partner for that. She had never thought of such a thing, but if she had something with the other fox, it was likely that there would be little time with Nick and...she didn't want it at all. She could find a way to pay attention to both of them? _Oh, cheese and cookies. What an idiot. Who did she want to fool?_ The kiss on the cheek made her blush, yes. And her heart raced a little, but what if it was Nick instead of Matthew? if it was her partner who had kissed her and shown her that affection?

Suddenly her heart began to accelerate at a different rate. Totally different than with Matthew.

_**Nick...**_

_Oh, Judy, you idiot. Why didn't you notice before? It's not Matthew who completes you. He's not the one who makes you vibrate. He's not the one who makes you nervous. But...Nick._

The pillow she had in her arms, was smothered against her chest. Lying on her bed, her eyes were fixed on the imaginary image of Nick on the ceiling. Her cheeks blushed, and her ears burned. She had fallen in love and not now. She had only realized it in at that moment that was Nick she wanted. The fox she wanted. And now she had to meet Matthew.

Lost in her thoughts, the sound of her cell phone message startled her. Removing the pillow to the side, she diverted her body to reach the mobile phone, which was on the bedside table, and straightened up again for the position that she was in the beginning. With her eyes fixed on the screen, her thumbs unlocked the phone. The notification only showed that it was a message. Clicking on it, her heart beat again at a rapid rate as she read her partner's name. Her paws trembled, denouncing the nervousness that had taken hold of her. And it was the first time such a thing had happened. She opened the message and read it carefully.

_"Hello, partner. First, I want to apologize for my reaction in the department and the silence when I walked you home. With this message, I want to tell you how happy I am that you have found someone who can make you happy. You know that I am not at all lame, but I thought I should say this. I will always be by your side, regardless of your decisions. I will be your shoulder when you need the most, and your friend forever. Tomorrow will be another day at work, and I wish you all the luck in the world with Matthew._

_Hugs, Nick."_

The tears had already formed in her eyes. And it was not because of the message, but because of the suffering that those words brought with them. She knew that he must have been hurt for not saying anything about Matthew sooner and suddenly touched on the subject. However, she had also been blind to her feelings, thinking that Matthew might be the one, but not. Blocking her cell phone, she cried over her stupidity. But, nothing was lost…yet. She was going to meet Matthew because she was not a cruel mammal. Only that, she would say to him that he was not the one she wanted. She would thanked him for dinner, but her heart belonged to another...mammal.

The night was turbulent. Her brain didn't let her sleep at all. If she slept, she did not even realize it. When the alarm clock went off, her paw shut him up furiously. When her eyes opened, she knew that tiredness would dominate her all day long. Not even her precious bath would help her. On the other side of town, Nick hadn't even slept at all. Sitting on the edge of his bed, his arms leaned on his legs. His mood was awful, and he will already lose count of the sighs he had given. Today, was the day he would lose his partner, and he knew it would be forever.

Concentrating on having a good day's work, they swallowed their feelings and worries, putting a strong expression of smile on their lips and as if nothing had happened, as soon as they found themselves as they usually did. The glasses on the fox's snout went down a little. His emerald green eyes showed tiredness, but his forced smile tried to be serene. On the other side, the forced smile was also disguised by Judy's serene expression. Wearing his belt, Nick started the engine and went, once again, to the ZPD, without even stopping at the pastry shop as they did every day. The silence was the company of both of them, and when they got out of the car, Nick indicated that he would get a coffee first and he would join her soon after. Judy tried to go unnoticed so Clawhauser wouldn't notice her and ran up the stairs to her office. Unfortunate for her, today they would have to spend the whole day filling out the late paperwork and the new one that had appeared yesterday, without knowing where, as soon as they finished the job and Bogo approached them in the hall with a bunch of papers on his paws. Opening the door and closing it behind her, her legs moved very slowly, until her paw met the chair, turned it to herself and sat down, fixing the chair in front of her desk. What was unfair before, was now useful to her and Nick's secretary to be in different places where their backs 'greeted each other'.

Agony was constant for both. Silence was what filled them for a good part of the day. With the late afternoon approaching, the nervousness that Judy thought she would have, gave way to an inexplicable calm and great sadness. In a long sigh, she grabbed the papers in front of her, hit them on the table to fix them and put them together with the others at her side. Then, she took her keys and the cell phone she had taken out of her pocket in the morning and got up. Without facing Nick, she went to the door where she opened it.

"See you in the morning." She said, starting to leave. But before she could close the door, Nick called her.

"Carrots?" she stopped and turned toward her partner, staring at him. "Have a happy night."

"I will." Judy closed her eyes and forced a smile. Then she left completely, closing the door behind her.

At the same moment, Nick's closed fist went against the wood of the table. The tears in his eyes formed, and soon they began to fall from his face. The pain was terrible. The feeling of loss, which he had already felt in the distant past, was much worse at this moment.

_**Judy...**_

He shouted in thought, while his face went against his paws, where his elbows found the support on the table. Never in his life had he cried like that. But the anguish of losing her completely, broke him. Meanwhile, the little bunny walked calmly. There was no hurry. There was no feeling of wanting to look beautiful for the meeting. All she wanted was...Nick. All she wanted was to look pretty for her partner if the date was with him. All she wanted was...to be able to feel his lips on hers. Judy took a paw in the pocket of her pants in order to remove her cell phone and check the time. She still had time to get ready. When...

_That's it! _

Without any delay, she hastened the pace. After all, not all was lost.

The eight o'clock came and hurriedly. Ready, Judy left her apartment and went down the stairs. When she left the building, Matthew, leaning against the door of his car, smiled at her.

"How beautiful you look" he praised her and kissed her cheek when the little bunny approached him.

"I didn't want to make you look bad if I were wearing casual clothes." She joked in a way. However, the effort to get her that way, was not for him.

Matthew smiled and did himself the favor of opening the door. Judy thanked him for the gesture and went inside. The fox closed the door and, bypassing the car, also entered and started the engine. Incredible as it may seem, the conversation flowed well all the way. The trip was about forty minutes and, as they talked, the arrival at the restaurant seemed a little faster. Doing the honors again, Matthew opened the door to Judy, where she left. The scenery was breathtaking. Her eyes shone with the magnificent garden that stands in front of her. The fountain in the middle was incredible. The reflection of the full moon on the way seemed like something out of a romantic film. Judy had to give Matthew credit for his choice of restaurant.

"I see I made the right choice." clarifying his voice, the fox spoke with a smile.

"Incredible" was the only thing she could say.

"If you think the garden is magnificent, I wonder how much you'll get a glimpse of the restaurant. Let's go?" raising his elbow, Matthew gave permission for the little bunny's paw to grab his arm.

Judy did so and went on their way.

_**Two hours later...**_

In Zootopia, already at home, Nick had finished bathing. Wearing black pants, the towel was still wiping his fur when the light, in the upper right corner of the phone, flashed. Curiously, he sat down on the edge of the bed, put the towel beside him and unlocked the mobile phone. One messages from Judy. Curious, he opened it right away.

"Good night, Slick. I hope you're home by now. I want to thank you for advising me to be myself. Matthew is a sweetheart in his own way. However, there is something else you should know. It's true that at first, I was a little nervous about this meeting. As I told you, it's been a long time since I've been on a date and it's messed with my system in a way. I also want to apologize for not telling you anything sooner, but... I didn't want you to look at me differently because I had to go on a date. In a year together as partners, I know I should have said it. I know you would have supported me anyway. However, I have to admit that the restaurant I'm in now is beautiful to die in. I didn't even know such a thing existed in Sahara Square. The garden is breathtaking and the moonlight as the lighting of the path to the main entrance of the restaurant, seems taken from a film. But...Nick...there's something you must know. My lack of courage has always been my biggest flaw. I may seem determined, but in certain situations, I lack courage. Right now, I'm alone, sitting in the garden in front of the fountain. By now, Matthew must be in Zootopia...".

_What do you mean, alone? Nick was extremely confused. Would dinner have gone wrong? Besides, why didn't she call instead of writing a will?_

"...dinner went...reasonably well. Maybe we won't have a very happy Matthew, but I couldn't fool myself anymore. Matthew is indeed an attractive fox, of irresistible charm, but not my kind of mammal. To tell you the truth, I don't have a particular kind of mammal, but I'm sure of what I feel, and I can't fool my heart about it."

At that very moment, his heart began to accelerate. He knew what she meant. The courage, in her words, was very visible.

"Nick, there's something I need to tell you. Can you come to the restaurant? I'll send you the location of the place."

She didn't need to say it. Whether or not the dinner went well, he would meet her. Laying his cell phone on the bed, he got up and put on the white blouse he had put on the chair. Then, he took the keys, the blazer and the mobile phone and ran out of the house, literally.

In the garden, violet eyes contemplated the full moon in the sky. The message she had sent to Nick took a lot of courage and had been written and deleted several times. After the disastrous dinner, Matthew wished them both all the best. At the start of dinner, everything was going very well. The fox happily talked about trivial things in which Judy often did not even listen to him. Her thoughts were elsewhere. In the middle of dinner, after gathering all her courage, Judy decided it was time to tell the truth. To say that he had no evil, was a nice mammal and a great company. That his outer beauty was to make any female happy to be invited to dinner with him, but that her heart was in another mammal and not in him. Matthew somehow already knew it but decided to try to invite her to dinner with him.

"It's Nick, isn't it?" Surprised, she blushed a little before nodding her head positively. "Although it makes me sad, I don't want to force you into anything. Thank you for coming with me and thank you for telling me. I will remain your friend as Nick's and I wish you all the best in the world, from my heart."

The smile he put on his lips was really sincere. The rest of the dinner went well, and when it was over, Judy said she wanted to stay there a while longer. Saying goodbye to him with a hug and thanking him for everything, Matthew started the car engine and continued his journey back to the Zootopia. In a long sigh, she entered the garden again, sitting on the bench in front of the fountain. Once again, she gathered courage and decided to write a message to Nick.

The forty minutes it would take from Zootopia to Sahara Square, for Nick were made in twenty minutes if not so much. He would be fined, he knew that, but the urgency of seeing Judy, hugging her and telling her how much he loved her too, was greater. The fine was due later. Parking the car in the park, he didn't take long to get out and run to the entrance to the garden. Then, he stopped for a while and took a deep breath. He adjusted his blouse and started to walk calmly to the fountain. When he reached it, he swallowed hard. With her paws on the bench, her violet eyes sparkled from the moonlight. The strapless dress, fulfilled and black, shone. One leg was bent, and the other stretched out, gave a magnificent profile image to the eyes of a dazzled fox.

"Judy?"

When he called her name, she turned her head towards him and smiled.

"Welcome to paradise, Nick." she said.

He smiled back at her and advanced to her, positioning himself in front of her with his paws in his pockets.

"I'm already here. What did you want to tell me?"

Her embarrassment was long gone. The blushing of her ears and the warmth on her cheeks were not present. Calm was all she felt. Even her fast-paced heart was beating at a normal rate. All the courage she had put into the words to write the message, left her super-stricken.

"I love you, Nicholas Wilde!"

Without answering, Nick just smiled. Then, he took a paw out of his pocket and took it to the bunny's chin, lifting it up a little as he crouched down, just inches from her snout.

"Me to."

His lips met hers in a soft kiss. All their fears disappeared. All the anguish felt, had given way to a burning passion. Time stopped for them at that moment, in that beautiful environment over the moonlight. No one else would separate them.

'_When I first came to you, your appearance enchanted me in a certain way. But it was your way of being and your great heart that made me love you.'_ Nicholas Wilde

_**The end.**_


End file.
